In recent years, an increased concern on environmental issues propels copy machine manufactures to recover used copiers from customers, and to remove parts from used copiers to reuse such parts in a new copier.
Conventionally, removed parts are packed in a material handling container, which is prepared exclusively for recycling operations. However, a variety of material handling containers needs to be prepared to recover parts because a variety of parts are used in a copier. If types of material handling containers become too large to cope with recovery of a variety of parts, it is not preferable from a viewpoint of recovering cost.
Furthermore, copiers may be used in diverse environmental conditions because each customer may use a copier in unique environment. For example, an outer cover of a copier may be damaged severely in some cases depending on environmental conditions at customers or handling by collection traders. If a damage of the outer cover of the copier is too severe, such outer cover may not be reused.
If the damage of the outer cover of the copier is too severe, the outer cover may be crashed and melted to be reused as recycled raw material, which may be environmentally-friendly compared to just throwing away the outer cover.
However, in such recycling process, heat energy may be required to crash and melt the outer cover, thereby such recycling process may not be preferable from a viewpoint of energy saving.
In general, reuse of parts used in a machine has following difficulties: (1) transport cost of reuse parts, (2) complexity of management of reuse parts (e.g., material handling container management), (3) damages during transportation, and (4) others.
As for (1), a machine generally has a small number of parts which can be reused, and a number of to-be-recovered machines may not be predicted correctly in advance. Therefore, to cope with such uncertain recovery situations, material handling containers should be prepared in a relatively larger number, which is not preferable from a viewpoint of recovery cost.
As for (2), because a shipment of the to-be-recovered machines may not be predicted as described in the above (1), management of material handling containers cannot be conducted in an economical manner. For example, material handling containers may be overstocked with respect to number of to to-be-recovered machines at one time, or material handling containers may be understocked with respect to number of to to-be-recovered machines at other time. Thereby the management of reuse parts may become complex. Furthermore, recycle traders, which conducts recycling operations for reuse parts at a recycle center, are not necessarily familiar to parts, thereby they may conduct unfavorable operations such as picking-up of wrong parts when they conduct a recycling process.
As for (3), in general, material handling containers provide good protection for parts from a hazard such as shock and vibration. However, such good protection can be achieved if only protection member such as shock absorber or lining is properly used. If such protection member is not properly used, damages may happen during transportation of parts even if the material handling containers are used.
As for (4), reuse parts in a machine may be damaged due to shock, which may happen by a collision of machines having not-enough strength for the outer cover of machines.
Under such situations, a process for recovering reuse parts with less complex management system has been desired to reduce parts recovery cost.
In case of an outer cover for covering an image forming apparatus such as copier, the outer cover has an inner surface provided with a plurality of ribs to keep strength of the outer cover.
For example, in case of a front cover of an image forming apparatus, which is pivotably opened, the front cover has following ribs: (1) relatively narrow and higher ribs formed near a pivot area such as hinge area, which receives a greater force, to keep strength of the outer cover, and (2) relatively broad and smaller ribs formed at an area such as hand-held portion for opening the cover, which is far from the pivot area such as hinge area, to keep necessary strength for a torsion force on such area while giving some flexibility, wherein the hand-held portion can be hold by hand without feeling a difficulty with such flexibility.
When an image forming apparatus is recovered from customers, an operator removes an outer cover (made of resin, for example) and parts (made of metal, for example) from the image forming apparatus.
At first, the operator opens a cover of the image forming apparatus, removes removable units, and picks up parts from the inside of the image forming apparatus. Then the operator selects recyclable parts and non-recyclable parts. The recyclable parts are then cleaned, checked, and installed in a new apparatus.
Many recyclable parts and non-recyclable parts are unique to each type of apparatuses, and furthermore, an installation layout of parts is also unique to each type of apparatuses. Therefore, the operator needs to memorize part-layout and pick-up procedure for each apparatus, or to look up a pick-up procedure for each apparatus when conducting recycle operations.
Therefore, the operator needs to handle a variety of apparatuses for recycling operations under an environment, which is different from an environment of manufacturing a same new apparatus in a factory.
If the operator needs to look up a pick-up procedure manual for each apparatus, such operator cannot conduct recycling operations efficiently. However, the operator needs some time (or experiences) to memorize pick-up procedure manuals for each apparatus if he wants to conduct recycling operations without looking up the pick-up procedure manuals.
Furthermore, not all parts are removed from an apparatus but only some parts are removed from the apparatus.
Under such complex situation, the operator may forget to pick up to-be-picked up parts or may pick up wrong parts even if the operator looks up pick-up procedure manuals for recycling operations. The operator may also forget to pick up to-be-picked up parts or may pick up wrong parts if he conducts recycling operations with his memory of pick-up procedure manuals for recycling operations because he may confuse a variety of pick-up procedure manuals. Furthermore, the operator may not have enough knowledge which part is recyclable or non-recyclable.